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Chelsea logo
EFL Cup | Final
Feb 25, 2024 at 3pm UK
Stamford Bridge
Liverpool logo

Chelsea
0 - 1
Liverpool


Chilwell (45+3'), Palmer (120+2')
FT
(aet)
van Dijk (118')
Bradley (45+3'), Mac Allister (81'), Konate (82'), McConnell (107'), Gomez (120+3')

How Chelsea could line up against Liverpool

How Chelsea could line up against Liverpool
© Reuters
Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Chelsea could line up for Sunday's EFL Cup final against Liverpool.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino could be working around as many as five defensive absentees for Sunday's EFL Cup final with Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

The Blues are guaranteed to be missing Wesley Fofana (knee), Benoit Badiashile (groin) and Reece James (thigh), while Thiago Silva (groin) and Marc Cucurella (ankle) are due to rejoin partial team training in the coming hours but are not certain to return.

None of Carney Chukwuemeka (ankle), Romeo Lavia or Lesley Ugochukwu - the latter two nursing thigh damage - will be available either, but first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has now recovered from a knee injury and is at Pochettino's disposal again.

The Spaniard sat out the draw with Man City due to a personal issue, but with Djordje Petrovic holding the fort well in his absence, Pochettino may hold back on reintroducing Sanchez into the first XI right away.

After quelling the rampant Citizens attack for most of their Etihad encounter, the Blues boss should see no need to tinker with his defensive wall of Malo Gusto, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill, allegedly a summer transfer target for Liverpool.

A former transfer target for the Reds - Moises Caicedo - will join fellow nine-figure midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a recognisable engine room, while Conor Gallagher should keep Christopher Nkunku at bay to start in a more advanced area.

Set to compete in his fifth EFL Cup final, ex-Liverpool protege Raheem Sterling joins top scorer Cole Palmer on the flanks, and the duo ought to be supplying Nicolas Jackson on the Wembley soil.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson

> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for the EFL Cup final

ID:537396:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4498:No Data Analysis info
Data Pass: [t, efl-cup, odds, 3706155]

How you voted: Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea
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Draw
10.7%
Liverpool
63.6%
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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk pictured on January 24, 2024
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EFL Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool Combined XI
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